Laminated bowling pin with weight control holes



Dec. 19, 1967 J. J. JINKNER 3,358,996

LAMINATED BOWLING PIN WITH WEIGHT CONTROL HOLES Filed Aug. 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN J. JJNKNEP ATTORNEYS J. J. JINKNER Dec. 19, 1967 LAMINATED BOWLING PIN WITH WEIGHT CONTROL HOLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 26, 1965 INVENTOR. JOHN J. JINKNER BY Ml AT TQPNEYS United States Patent 3,358,996 LAMINATED BOWLING PIN WITH WEIGHT CONTROL HOLES John J. Jinkner, 4324 Arden Place, Royal Oak, Mich. 48072 Filed Aug. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 482,755 6 Claims. (Cl. 273-82) This invention relates to the bowling pin art, and more particularly to a novel and improved laminated bowling pin which incorporates an improved cont-rolled weight system that reduces the weight of a bowling pin without impairing the structural soundness of the pin.

The use of holes in laminated bowling pins for con trolling the weight of a pin is well known in the bowling pin art. For example, the United States patent to Kraft, No. 2,246,411, discloses a laminated bowling pin provided with control weight holes. Some prior art patents disclose control weight systems which place the control weight holes haphazardly in a bowling pin for the sole purpose of reducing the weight of the pin to bring the pin into a more desirable weight class, but without paying any attention or giving any consideration to the structural soundness of the pin after the holes have been formed. Experience has shown that bowling pins provided with the prior art type control weight systems have been subject to structural failures wherein the pins develop cracks which extend from the center holes in the base portions of the pins up through the bridging structures of the pins between the control weight holes and into the neck portions of the pins. In many instances the bridging structure in the internal part of the pins between the control weight holes breaks away resulting in a weakened pin with a broken-up internal portion with parts rattling around inside of the control weight holes. The aforedescribed prior art control weight systems which do not consider the sizes and locations of the control weight holes provide pins which are weakened structurally and which have only a short useful life. The indiscriminate disposition of the control weight holes, without consideration of the sizes and location of the control weight holes, unfavorably influences the impact balance, durability, sound effects and other properties of a bowling pin.

In view of the foregoing, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved control weight system for laminated bowling pins which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art bowling pin control weight systems.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved control weight system for laminated bowling pins which includes the provision of a plurality of holes in the belly portion of a bowling pin at predetermined specific positions, and with the holes being formed to specific sizes selected from a predetermined range of sizes.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved control weight system for laminated bowling pins which is adapted to control the weight of a bowling pin while eliminating structural failures which heretofore have occured in controlled weight pins.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel laminated bowling pin which is simple and compact in construction, economical of manufacture, and efiicient in use.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved bowling pin which is provided with control weight holes which are made to specific sizes and which are disposed in specific positions so as to control the weight of the pin without impairing the impact balance, durability, sound effects and other properties of the pin.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved bowling pin which is provided with a plurality of control weight holes formed to specific sizes and disposed in specific positions in the belly portion of the pin, and wherein said holes include an upper, transversely disposed hole that is round in configuration, and a pair of axially aligned, lower holes spaced apart downwardly from said upper hole and spaced apart from each other, and the outer edges of the lower holes are aligned with the outer edges of said upper hole.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pin made in accordance with the principle of the invention, with the plastic coating removed to show the laminations, and showing the control weight openings in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section view of the pin illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 2-2 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an elevational section view of the pin illustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 3-3 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an elevational section view of the pin illustrated in FIG. 3, taken along the line 4-4 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section view of the pin illustrated in FIG. 3 taken along the line 55 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an elevational section view of a second embodiment of the invention, similar to the view of FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, and showing a pin made with a single center piece;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section view of the pin illustrated in FIG. 6, taken along the line 7-7 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section view of the pin illustrated in FIG. 6, taken along the line 8-8 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the numerals 1t), 11 and 12 indicate sections or laminations of an illustrative bowling pin made in accordance with the principles of the present invention. It will be seen that the laminations 10, 11 and 12 extend through the complete height of the bowling pin. That is, these laminations extend from the base of the bowling pin up through the belly portion, the neck portion, and terminate at the upper end of the head portion. The bowling pin further includes the side laminations 13 and 14. Although only two side laminations are shown for the belly portion, it will be understood that four side portions may also be used in forming a pin in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

It will be understood that the wood selected for making the laminations 10 through 14 may be of any suitable type available on the market and for particular use in the male,

ing of bowling pins. The number of laminations used to form the head, neck and belly portions of the bowling pin may also vary. The thickness of each of these laminations may also vary, as desired. These laminations are glued together in a well known manner, and they are covered with the usual plastic coating indicated by the numeral 15 in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, the bowling pin of the present invention is provided with an upper control weight hole generally designated by the numeral 16. The control weight hole 16 is formed by a plurality of round, horizontally or transversely disposed hole portions 17, 18 and 19 which are drilled through the laminations 11, 10 and 12, respectively, before the side laminations 13 a and 14. are glued in place. The numeral 20 indicates the common horizontal centerline of the hole portions 17, 13 and 1?.

The bowling pin of the present invention is further provided with a pair of lower control weight holes 21 and 22 which are laterally spaced apart from each other and which are also spaced downwardly from the upper con trol weight hole 16. The numerals 23 and 24 indicate the horizontal centerlines of the round, horizontally or transversely disposed control weight holes 21 and 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the centerlines 23 and 24 are aligned axially with each other and are disposed so as to intersect the axial or longitudinal centerline 26 of the bowling pin. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bowling pin is provided with the usual vertical center hole 25 which is disposed axially and extends upwardly into the bowling pin from the lower end or base 27.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the centerline 21) of the upper control weight hole 16 must be maintained a distance above the base 27 of the pin to a dimension which falls within the range of from 5 /8" to 6 /8 inclusively. The preferable centerline distance from the lower end 27 to the centerline 20 is 6". In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the distance of the centerline 23 and 24 from the lower end 27 for the lower control weight holes 21 and 22, respectively, should be maintained at a dimension within the range of from 3%" to 3 /8" inclusively. The preferred or optimum distance from the lower end 27 to the centerline 23 and 24 is 3%".

The diameter of the upper control weight hole 19, and each of the diameters of the lower control weight holes 21 and 22, is also made to a specific dimension selected from the range of 1 A" to 1%" with the optimum diameter for these holes being 1 /2". It will be understood that the same diameter when selected from said range of diameters is used in any particular case for all three of these control weight holes in a particular bowling pin. Experience has shown that if the control weight holes are not maintained to sizes taken from the aforementioned ranges of sizes and locations that cracking develops at the neck of the bowling pins. The depths or transverse lengths of the drill hole portions 17, 18 and 19, which form the upper control weight hole 16, may be selected from the range of Ms" to 1", with the optimum or preferred depth of these holes being 1". In each embodiment the depth of these hole portions 17, 18 and 19 would be determined by the thickness of the laminations 10, 11 and 12 which would be maintained within the last mentioned hole portion depth range. The combined length of the hole portions 17, 18 and 19, that is, the total transverse length of the hole 16, is determined by the combined total of the thicknesses of the laminations 10, 11 and 12 which would be made in accordance with the last mentioned hole depth range. The length of the hole 16 should be made to a size falling within the range of from 2% to 3" inclusively.

The depths or transverse lengths of the lowercontrol weight holes 21 and 22 would also be made in accordance with the hole depth range set forth for the upper hole portions 17, 18 and 19. As shown in FIG. 1, the holes 21 and 22 are made to the same depth as the upper hole portions 17, 18 and 19. However, it will be understood that the control weight holes 21 and 22 could extend inwardly into the middle lamination if the hole depths fell within the hole depth range. It will be seen that the outer edges of the lower control weight holes 21 and 22 are vertically aligned with the outer edges of the upper control weight hole portions 17 and 19. It will also be seen that the axis of the upper control weight hole 16 is disposed parallel to the centerlines 23 and 24 of the lower control weight holes 21 and 22. FIG. 1 illustrates that a bowling pin made in accordance with the principles of the present invention is provided with a solid center piece extended from the upper end of the vertical center hole 25 to the lower side of the upper horizontal control weight hole 16. It will also be seen that the horizontal axes 20, 23' and 24 are disposed in vertical alignment and extend through the vertical or longitudinal axis 26 of the bowling pin. The thickness of the solid centerline portion between the control weight holes 21 and 22 is determined by the depths selected for the holes 21 and 22.

As stated hereinbefore, the laminations 10, 11 and 12 are made from a suitable wood as maple and are glued together in any suitable manner, and the aforementioned control weight holes 16, 21 and 22 are made to specific sizes and disposed in specific places in the pin in accordance with the aforementioned size and disposition ranges so as to remove sufiicient wood to. bring the pin into the desired weight class without impairing the structural soundness of the pin. The finished pins are provided with a plastic coating 15 which brings the finished weight of the finished pin within a range of weight of from three pounds and four ounces to three pounds and six ounces, which is an acceptable weight range that meets the American Bowling Congress Weight regulations.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention wherein the bowling pin comprises the central lamination 30 and the two side laminations 31 and 32. These laminations would be glued together in the usual manner. The parts of the bowling pin embodiment of FIG. 6 which are the same as the embodiment of FIG. 1 are marked with the same reference numerals followed by the small letter a.

It will be seen that the embodiment of FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 is provided with control weight holes 16a, 12a and 22a, and these holes are made to the same size specifications and disposition specifications as set forth hereinbefore under the discussion of the control weight holes for the embodiment of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper control weight hole 16a is one continuous hole because the center lamination 30 is formed as the sole center part of the bowling pin.

Experience has shown that a bowling pin made in accordance with the principles of the present invention may be made from a plurality of laminations and with the control weight holes formed to the aforedescribed size combination and locations. The invention provides a bowling pin that has maximum structure soundness which is not achievable with the prior art type control weight bowling pin systems. Bowling pins made in accordance with the principles of the present invention meet the American Bowling Congress approval in regard to balance, durability, sound effects and other properties of a bowling pin.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a laminated bowling pin, the combination comprising:

(a) a pluralty of longitudinally disposed laminations secured together to form the belly portion, the neck and the head of the bowling pin;

(b) said plurality of laminations including at least one central lamination forming the head, neck, and part of the belly portion of the pin, and at least two side laminations on the belly portion;

(c) an upper control weight hole formed in the belly portion of the pin; and

(d) a pair of axially aligned, lower, laterally spaced apart control weight holes formed in the belly portion of the pin in positions spaced below said upper control weight hole and in vertical alignment therewith.

2. The laminated bowling pin as defined in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) said holes are round in cross sectional shape.

3. The laminated bowling pin as defined in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the outer ends of said pair of lower control weight holes are vertically aligned with the outer ends of said upper control weight hole.

4. The laminated bowling pin as defined in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the distance from the lower end of the bowling pin to the centerline of the upper control weight hole is made to a length which falls within the range of 5 /8 up to and including 6 /8"; and,

(b) the distance from the lower end of the bowling pin to the centerlines of the lower control weight holes is made to a length which falls within the range of 3 /8" up to and including 3 /8".

5. The laminated bowling pin as defined in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the diameter of each of said control weight holes 6 is made to a dimension selected from the range of diameters of 1%" up to and including 1%".

6. The laminated bowling pin as defined in claim 1,

wherein:

(a) the length of said upper control weight hole is made to a dimension selected from the range of from 2%" up to and including 3"; and,

( b) the length of each of said lower control Weight holes is made to a dimension selected from the range of from to 1".

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,197,649 9/1916 Miller 27382 1,722,5 5 7 7/ 1929 "Cherret-te 27382 1,969,378 8/ 1934 McKenzie 2738'2 2,246,411 6/ 1941 Kraft 27382 3,227,451 1/ 1966 Einfalt 273-82 ANTON 0. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A LAMINATED BOWLING PIN, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED LAMINATIONS SECURED TOGETHER TO FORM THE BELLY PORTION, THE NECK AND THE HEAD OF THE BOWLING PIN; (B) SAID PLURALITY OF LAMINATIONS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE CENTRAL LAMINATION FORMING THE HEAD, NECK, AND PART OF THE BELLY PORTION OF THE PIN, AND AT LEAST TWO SIDE LAMINATIONS ON THE BELLY PORTION; (C) AN UPPER CONTROL WEIGHT HOLE FORMED IN THE BELLY PORTION OF THE PIN; AND (D) A PAIR OF AXIALLY ALIGNED, LOWER, LATERALLY SPACED APART CONTROL WEIGHT HOLES FORMED IN THE BELLY PORTION OF THE PIN IN POSITIONS SPACED BELOW SAID UPPER CONTROL WEIGHT HOLE AND IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH. 